1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a drive control apparatus for a vehicle that controls drive force output from a prime mover serving as a drive power source of a vehicle, in accordance with operation of an accelerator.
2. Description of Related Art
As described in Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 61-190135 (JP 61-190135 A), a vehicle, such as an automobile, has a control unit that controls drive force output from a prime mover in accordance with operation of an accelerator by a driver, and the drive force output from the prime mover is transmitted to wheels of the vehicle, whereby the vehicle runs. Furthermore, the vehicle is also provided with a shift mechanism that enables the driver to selectively switch a shift position to either a driving position or a non-driving position. When the shift position is in a driving position, drive force is transmitted from the prime mover to the vehicle wheels, whereas when the shift position is in a non-driving position, the transmission of drive force from the prime mover to the wheels is interrupted.
When the driver intends to start the vehicle from a stationary state, in general, the driver switches the shift position from a non-driving position to a driving position and then operates the accelerator from an off state to an on state. However, if the driver is in a hurry, there is a possibility that the driver may operate the accelerator to an on state before switching the shift position from a non-driving position to a driving position. In this case, although the driver intends to carry out the normal operation described above, in actuality, the driver carries out an operation that is different from the normal operation, by switching the shift position to a driving position while the accelerator is in an on state.
When the driver carries out an operation different from a normal operation in this way, there is a possibility that the actual behaviour of the vehicle may not match the behaviour of the vehicle that the driver is expecting. More specifically, while the driver intends to start the vehicle when he or she operates the accelerator to an on state, in actuality, the drive force of the prime mover is transmitted to the wheels and the vehicle starts off when the driver switches the shift position to a driving position, after having operated the accelerator to an on state. When the drive force of the prime mover is transmitted to the wheels after switching the shift position to a driving position while the accelerator is in an on state in this way, there is a possibility of giving an uncomfortable feeling to the drive.